Electronic Government and Rural Development in Anglophone West Africa

Abstract

E-government has taken off since the end of the millennium. It has emerged as a viable means to address development issues and challenges especially at the grassroots level because citizens find empowerment through access to information. This chapter notes that Anglophone West Africa has been hard hit with poverty and disease, and this has had an immense effect on the quality of social, cultural, and political lives of the people. It identifies the major problems facing the isolated rural communities and various operational and infrastructure problems associated with implementing e-government are discussed, along with possible solutions. The chapter recommends, among others, that Anglophone West Africa must pursue a more active role in the formulation of national policies and strategies to promote the information economy, to reap huge benefits in terms of economic and social growth/development.